ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks won at Oklahoma City without Dwight Howard, but they couldn't manage a repeat at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves two days later.

Karl-Anthony Towns, taking advantage of the absence of the 6-foot-11 Howard, had 17 points and 18 rebounds as the Timberwolves defeated the Hawks 92-84 on Wednesday night for their first consecutive victories this season.

"It changed the game plan a little bit," the 7-foot Towns said of not having to face Howard. "We went in there and did a great job of attacking the paint and using the paint to our advantage."

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points and Zach LaVine had 17 points for Minnesota (9-19) as the Timberwolves followed up a home victory on Monday against Phoenix.

"We did a great job finishing the game," said Towns, whose five assists were only three less than point guard Ricky Rubio. "We had a great start and they fought their way back. This is the NBA and they are too talented not to. But we stayed the course and stuck with our game plan and executed it near flawlessly at the end."

The Timberwolves, who led by 11 points early in the first quarter, had a 52-35 advantage on the boards and that helped them win despite committing 17 turnovers.

"The rebounding, that was the key to the game," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Dennis Schroder had 21 points and seven assists, but the Hawks (14-15) lost for the sixth time in their past seven home games and third in a row.

"We keep getting good wins on the road, then coming home and the luck is on the other side," Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha said. "It's frustrating."

Paul Millsap, who started at center with Howard sidelined by back tightness, had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Mike Muscala scored 16 points off the bench, hitting his first six shots -- three from behind the arc.

Muscala missed his last three shots, though, and the Hawks made just 7 of 26 3-point attempts as a team while shooting 41.5 percent overall. Schroder was 1-for-7, Millsap 0-for-5 and Kyle Korver 2-for-6.

"It wasn't our best game offensively. We missed too many shots," said Kyle Korver, who had 10 points and four blocked shots. "Until we become more consistent, we're going to be just a .500 team."

Wiggins broke a tie at 80 with a 3-point play midway in the fourth quarter and Gorgui Dieng clinched it for the Timberwolves on a basket with 42.3 seconds left.

Muscala had 11 points in the third quarter and the Hawks led 69-67 going into the final period thanks to a dunk by Kent Bazemore in the closing seconds.

The Hawks jumped to a quick 10-point lead at Oklahoma City with a small lineup, but they trailed 12-2 against the Timberwolves before inserting the 6-foot-11 Muscala to help the 6-foot-8 Millsap inside.

Although Atlanta went on a 14-0 run shortly afterward, Minnesota was up 28-26 after the first period and 49-44 at halftime.

Towns had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, assuring a ninth straight double-double. Millsap had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead the Hawks.

Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who averages 11.7 points per game off the bench, suffered a groin strain in the first quarter and didn't return after playing just 63 seconds.

NOTES: Although Hawks C Dwight Howard said that his tight back "continues to get better," he missed a second consecutive game. The decision to hold out Howard wasn't made until about an hour before tip-off against the Timberwolves. "It's something we want to be on top of and maybe even ahead of," coach Mike Budenholzer said of Howard's back issue. ... The Hawks and Timberwolves play again on Monday in Minnesota to complete the two-game season series. ... The Timberwolves won both games last season, with F Andrew Wiggins scoring 33 points in a 117-107 victory at Atlanta. ... Minnesota is at home against Sacramento on Friday, then plays at Oklahoma City on Christmas night. ... The Hawks are at Denver on Friday. ... Atlanta rookie F DeAndre Bembry will be assigned to the NBA Development League for a third time and play a game for Salt Lake City on Thursday.